A treat for you
It finally feels like winter here, and while I love hot chocolate any time of the year, I like it best when its steamy warmth provides a nice contrast to the chill outside. For Christmas this year, I gave our families a copy of my CD and a jar of homemade hot chocolate mix with the recipe. I mentioned to a dear friend that I was going to make the hot chocolate but needed a recipe and was going to search the Internet. She kindly gave me a copy of her delicious recipe, and I had found several online so I combined the recipes to create my own.
Heavenly Hot Chocolate Mix
10 2/3 c. powdered milk
6 oz. jar nonfat powdered dairy creamer
4 c. confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 c. cocoa powder (can use hot chocolate mix like NesQuik
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. (I recommend processing the powdered milk in a blender to break down the large particles into a fine powder.) Stir gently to mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. This makes about 18 cups of mix.
Options:To use mix, add 3 or 4 tablespoons of the mix per cup of water. I usually prefer using milk to make my hot chocolate, but this has creamer and powdered milk in the mix so I find that using water instead of milk gives you a stronger chocolate flavor. I did try it with milk, and it's very rich, mild, and smooth that way - just not as "chocolate-y."
- Add 1 bag mini marshmallows
- Use a flavored creamer such as Hazelnut or French Vanilla. (I used Hazelnut, and you really need to use two 8 oz. jars to get a good flavor.)
- Add 1 tsp. cinnamon to the mix.
- Add 1 pkg. of raspberry or cherry Kool-aid mix. Increase sugar by 1/2 cup.
photo of hot chocolate courtesy of fotosearch.com
6 comments:
This sounds great! What a great gift idea, I'll have to try this one day.
One of my favorite things on a cold winter's day is hot chocolate. Second, hot apple cider. Do the kids love it also?
Hi, guys!
JJ, I'm sure you will love this, and it makes a gallon of mix. I gave away a quart and still had 3 quarts left. Imagine how many cups of hot chocolate that will make!
Frank, the kids love the hot chocolate, but I haven't made hot apple cider. I like it, but my husband doesn't so I don't make it. That's the way it goes. (grin)
OK--wait, as you're heating up some apple cider, add cinnamon and an orange wheel. When you serve, add a very thin orange wheel to float on the top of your glass. My daughter adores it and you may too. The aroma alone is worth making it (which takes all of 5 minutes). Tell your hubby to try this. If he hates it, well, I won't make anymore food suggestions that he doesn't like (laugh).
Sounds like a good thrifty recipe!
Frank, that sounds delicious, and I will definitely have to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Karen, it is definitely thrifty. I bought pretty jar from Wal-Mart for $2 and tied metallic ribbon around the neck. They looked lovely, and I bet each jar filled with mix cost less than $5. You could use canning jars, but it was the wrong time of year to buy them.
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